I lived in fear most of my early childhood. Dad could be violent when he drank. I have two younger siblings. I would tell them that everything was going to be ok, while downstairs dad was beating our mum.

Thankfully, dad stopped drinking when I was still a child but it took years for me to deal with the fear and anxiety. Even though he stopped drinking it was years before his behaviours changed. In fact, he still has some of his old behaviours but he can’t see that. His drinking has impacted me throughout my life. He instilled fear, insecurity, and anxiety in me from a young age. This has taken many years to overcome even though we have a good relationship now.